Hoisting and conveying apparatus.



PATENTED MAY 17, 1904.

r. N. WEDGE. HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1903.

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PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK N. WEDGE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO CARRIE N.

I VEDGE, OF CLEVELAND, 'OI-IIO.

HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS- SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 760,286, dated May 17, 1904.

Application filed March 16, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK N. WEDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoisting and Conveying A pparatus; and I do declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in hoisting and conveying apparatus, and the improvement comprises a traveling carrier constructed of separate movable members adaptedto raise and lower the load and to hold the same at any elevation for conveying it backward orforward, all substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an elevated track with my improved conveying apparatus thereon and showing a hoisting-engine with power-cables for operating said apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the traveling carrier and the buckets suspended therefrom. Fig. 3 is a side view in section on line y 3 Fig. 4, showing the notched connecting-bars of the carrier in raised position with the movable end mem bers in closer relation and with the buckets lowered. Fig. A is a cross-section of the track and carrier on line {0 m, Fig. 3.

The drawings in the present instance show an elevated track with a traveling carrier B mounted to travel from end to end thereon. Said carrier is made in two parts or with separable members which are movable in respect to each other upon track A and are connected by suitable hoisting-cables running over sheaves carried by said members. The hoisting-cables are provided with buckets O, which convey the load to any point in the line of travel of carrier B, and said buckets may be used for conveying ore, coal, or other material.

This apparatus is especially adaptable in ditch-digging operations, wherein the distance to which the load must be carried is often Serial No. 147,889. (No model.)

direct control of the operator at the hoistingengine I).

As shown, engine D is connected to operate a set of winding-drums E and E, which drums are separately controlled by levers and frictional mechanism, as usual and not shown.

A power-cable G leads from drum E over a suitable sheave on track A to a bail I-I, connected with the axle I of wheels J of carrier B and which comprises one end member of said carrier. A second cable K from drum F leads back over sheaves to the endof the elevated tracks and connects with bail L, attached to shaft M of wheels N or the second movable member of carrier B. The operation of drawing the carrier back and forth upon track A is accomplished by means of cables G and K and their respective winding-drums, and the buckets O are also raised and lowered by means of said cables and carrier B. The separable construction of carrier B comprising the end members havingwheels J on shaft I and wheels N on shaft M permits saidmembers to move in opposite directions, and normally the weight of the buckets and their load pull said members toward each other.

In detail, carrier B comprises a set of notched connecting draw-bars O, which are pivotally attached to shaft'M at the side of wheels N. A series of notches It .are located upon the under side of bars O and are adapted to en- I can be done by an operator on the ground with any suitable means, but preferably by stop or pin V upon track A, said pin being located at any point in the line of travel of said carrier where it is deemed best to raise and lower buckets C. In order that 'wheels N and J should travel uniformly and evenly upon track A, I provide a smaller set of wheels WV, mounted to rotate upon a shaft Y, which shaft is connected to shaft M by link-bars Z. Wheels W are smaller in diameter than the other wheels of carrier B to bring shaft Y below bars 0 and out of contact therewith. Shafts I, Y, and M are provided with sheaves I, Y, and M, respectively, over which a series of hoisting-cables are free to run and from which cables buckets C are suspended. In the present instance I have four sheaves on shaft I, the same number of sheaves on shaft M, and two sheaves on shaft Y, which gives me carrying capacity for six buckets. A greater or less number of buckets can be thus carried by increasing or decreasing the number of sheaves and cables.

The buckets C, suspended beneath wheels N, have each a cable G, which runs over a sheave M" on shaft M, and the end of said cable is attached to a connection mounted upon shaft I. The buckets beneath wheels J have each a cable running over a sheave I back to a connection upon shaft Y. The buckets beneath wheels W have each a cable, one of which passes over a sheave Y back to a sheave I on shaft I and thence forward to sheave 1/ on shaft M and then back to a connection on shaft I. The cable of the other bucket beneath wheels W passes from said bucket over sheave Y to the front, over a sheave M, and

thence back to a sheave I, and then forward to a fastening connection upon shaft M. This latter-described connection for the buckets beneath wheels W increases the speed of lowering and raising of the buckets as compared to the other mode of connection previously described, and either or both modes of connecting may be used if desired.

With the cable connections and arrangement of sheaves as described it will be seen that as the separable members of the carrier, of which wheels N and J are a part, are drawn apart the buckets C will be raised, the operator at the engine accomplishing this result by holding drumF in check, thereby keeping wheels M stationary through cable K and winding cable G upon drum E, which draws wheel J to the left to any required distance within the limits of the draw-bars O. IVhen the buckets have been raised to the desired elevation, the notches R above the point to which the shaft I has reached will then permit bars 0 to drop and shaft I and wheel J are locked from backward movement, and the buckets and their load will keep them in this locked relation. The carrier B is then caused to travel forward by a further winding of the cable G upon drum E, but drum F must then be permitted to unwind cable K and give the requisite slack to the end of the travel of said carrier. As said carrier reaches the place where the load is to be lowered and slightly beyond the point where lever T will engage a suitable stop T upon track A a short return movement of the carrier will thereby raise draw-bars O and the weight of the buckets and the load is then upon cable G, and the operator can lower the same by means of lever and drum E. Lowering is accomplished by permitting the weight of the load to bring wheels J and M into closer relation through the agency of the hoistingcables of the buckets. I might use a single bucket and cable, but I prefer to use several, and can increase the number of buckets over that shown by adding extra sheaves and cables for each new bucket.

What'I claim is 1. In a conveying apparatus, a traveling carrier comprising separate movable members having suspensory means for the load connecting said members, means to operate said members independently of each other to raise or lower the load, and positive locking means to hold said members apart at varying distances as the load is raised, substantially as described.

2. A traveling carrier for conveying apparatus having separate movable members, a locking-bar connection between said members, suspensory cables for the load connected with one member and having running engagement with the other member, and means to move said members apart to raise the load, substantially as described.

3. A traveling carrier comprising a set of separate movable members provided with rigid connecting-bars having adjustable locking engagement with said members, hoisting-cables stretched between said members, and means to separate said members to extend said hoisting-cables, substantially as described.

4. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of atravcling carrier having a set of independent supporting-wheels and sheaves with a notched bar ad justabl y connecting said sets of wheels and sheaves, hoistingcables stretched between said sheaves and supported therefrom, and a power-cable for moving each set of wheels and sheaves forward or backward, substantially as described.

5. The traveling carrier substantially as described comprising supporting-wheels at one end provided with a cross-shaft having sheaves thereon, a separate set of supporting-wheels with cross-shafts provided with sheaves and having notched bars in engaging relation with said first named shaft, hoistingcables attached to said shafts and supported by said sheaves, and separate power-cables attached to said shafts for causing the wheels and sheaves to move either in opposite directions or in the same direction, substantially as described.

6. A traveling carrier provided with a set of supporting-wheels at each end and crosshoisting-cables at their free end, substantially I as described.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specification this l2th day of March, 1903.

FRANK N. WEDGE.

Witnesses:

R. B. MOSER, R. ZBORINK. 

